The present invention is directed to liquid spray apparatus, systems and methods, and will find particular use in the vehicle washing industry.
Vehicle wash systems can be broken down into three general groups: self-service washes, roll over washes, and conveyor washes. Self-service washes are generally coin operated wash equipment in open bays for the general public to wash their own vehicle. Roll over washes exist in fairly short buildings which consist of a moving gantry that travels on tracks mounted on either the floor or building walls. The gantry moves back and forth over a stationary vehicle applying soaps, cleaners, waxes and rinses. Finally, conveyor washes are usually long conveyors that either push or pull a vehicle through a series of stationary arches. In touch free washes, these arches apply cleaners, high pressure water, waxes, rinses and dryers. Friction washes will use cloth or plastic brushes, and more recently foam pads.
Notwithstanding the different types of vehicle wash systems, the car wash industry is in search of new and better ways to contour the multitudes of different sizes and shapes of vehicles that need to be washed, without the possibility of damaging the vehicle. To date, no one has found a way to control the wash process so as to be able to wash any and all vehicles in a way that not only cleans the entire vehicle, but does so cost effectively without wasting soap and water, as may be the case when all vehicles are sprayed the same regardless of their size or shape.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide an exemplary vehicle wash system which accurately contours a wide range of vehicle shapes and sizes and provides exemplary cleaning ability. Further, it would be preferable to have such a wash system be adapted for use with other industries that require the high pressure spraying of fluids, related or unrelated to cleaning processes.
The present invention provides exemplary apparatus, systems and methods for spraying one or more liquids. In one embodiment, apparatus of the present invention are directed to the vehicle wash industry, and provide an exemplary vehicle wash system and methods. One advantage of the present invention involves a nozzle assembly that is rotated about two axii to provide exemplary cleaning. In one embodiment, the rotation about each of the two axii is less than 360xc2x0. In this manner, the undesired winding of water or chemical feed lines is avoided. Additional characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
In one embodiment, a spray apparatus for spraying one or more liquids according to the present invention comprises a nozzle assembly having a plurality of nozzles adapted to be coupled to a liquid source. The apparatus includes a first rotating means for rotating the assembly about a first axis through a first range of rotation and a second rotating means for rotating the assembly about a second axis, generally perpendicular to the first axis, through a second range of rotation. In one embodiment, the first and second ranges of rotation are less than 360 degrees. In this manner, the two axii of rotation provide exemplary spraying characteristics, and the less than 360 degree rotation range prevents unwanted winding of feed lines, control lines and the like which may be connected to the nozzle assemblies. Such an apparatus will be particularly useful for washing systems, such as a vehicle washing system.
In one aspect, a controller simultaneously controls the first and second rotating means to cause the nozzles to spray a liquid in a nonlinear trajectory. In another embodiment, the first and second rotator means comprise first and second rotators, such as a stepper motor, an AC motor, a servo motor, an air-operated rotation device and the like. In one embodiment, the first rotator operates to tilt the nozzle assembly and the second rotator operates to pan the nozzle assembly. In another embodiment, a third rotator operates to rotate the nozzle assembly about a third axis in a continuous 360 degree range of rotation.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle washing system for cleaning a vehicle includes a gantry having an upper generally horizontal portion coupled between two generally vertical side portions. A plurality of nozzle assemblies each having a plurality of nozzles for dispensing a fluid are coupled to the gantry. Each of the nozzle assemblies are coupled to a rotator mechanism for rotating the assemblies about two generally perpendicular axii.
In one aspect, the washing system further includes a track on which the gantry is adapted to move, and a distance measurement device for measuring a distance the gantry moves along the track. In another aspect, the system includes a vehicle measurement device for determining a vehicle height, and/or a vehicle width. A controller in one aspect determines a vehicle profile by combining data from the distance measurement and vehicle measurement devices. In another aspect, a second gantry, similar to the first, is provided. In one embodiment, the two gantries form a stationary frame capable of washing a stationary vehicle.
The present invention further provides exemplary methods for spraying one or more liquids. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a spray apparatus as described herein, rotating the nozzle assembly about the two axii, and spraying liquid from at least one of the nozzles. In one embodiment, the nozzle assembly is rotated through less than a 360 degree range of rotation about the two axii.
In another embodiment, a method for washing a vehicle includes positioning a vehicle underneath the gantry as described herein, providing relative movement between the gantry and vehicle to produce a vehicle size profile comprising a height of the vehicle as a function of the vehicle length, and spraying the vehicle with a liquid from at least some of the nozzle assemblies. The system used herein preferably has at least one controller for controlling nozzle assembly operation and/or gantry operation. The relative movement can be provided by moving the gantry, moving the vehicle, or moving both.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.